Man suffers runny nose for six years because of brain 'leakage' through a hole in skull

In a strange medical case, a 20-year-old man who had been suffering from a runny nose for six years discovered that actually, it was his brain which was bulging through a hole in his skull.

The man, who belonged to Syria, was suffering from a chronic runny nose and also complained about having headaches and seizures. He said that the symptoms began after he suffered a head injury.

However, what the man believed was a simple symptom of cold was actually the "leakage" of a clear fluid which protects the body's brain and spine, called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

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How did the doctors diagnose 'brain leakage'?

The man started facing the problem after he sustained a head injury in a car accident six years ago.

The doctors scanned the brain of the man and diagnosed him with traumatic encephalocele, which is a condition in which the matter in the brain starts moving through holes in the skull like the nasal cavity.

Generally, encephalocele is a rare birth defect because of which the tissues covering the brain start protruding through openings in the skull.

The man had earlier refused initial treatment for injuries when he had visited the hospital after surviving a car accident.

The man had developed meningoencephalitis two months before he visited the hospital for nasal leakage.

The doctors admitted him to the intensive care unit for one month and carried out an MRI of his brain.

In the scan, they found out that he had a fracture in his skull and had developed an encephalocele in his nasal cavity.

The doctors further saw that the man's brain tissue and meninges, which are layers that protect the spine and brain -were protruding through the skull fracture and there was "significant expansion" in the right-side areas of the brain.

The doctors recommended the man undergo surgery to repair the fracture, however, he refused.

He came back to the hospital after two months and was given the same advice. He finally agreed to the operation in which his tissue and matter were placed back to their locations by a neurosurgeon.

His damaged meninges were also repaired and the base of the skull which was damaged by fracture was also reconstructed using medical-grade cement and glue.

Finally, the patient recovered and was discharged after two days.

(With inputs from agencies)